Fetch Her Heart
by SerenityQuill
Summary: It's Anna's birthday and Elsa can't figure out what to get her little sister. But when Astrid stumbles upon the new type of dragon, she follows it to Arendelle and makes a fiery impression on the Snow Queen's world. Elsa x Astrid Elstrid - femslash, yuri.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Elsa looked out the window. She plopped her head in her hand, thinking about tomorrow. Thinking about Anna's birthday. Afternoon sunlight streamed in. Elsa had spent a good portion of her morning hashing out trade agreements and contracts with other countries. It had been dull, headache inducing work and she needed to think on things other than money.

Like how tomorrow her little sister turned nineteen. "Nineteen," Elsa muttered.

She couldn't believe it. She had missed so much. Her gaze wandered to her nightstand. Inside the top drawer was her gift to Anna. The gift she bought months ago and immediately disliked.

She had purchased a sapphire pendant necklace that would go lovely with Anna's eyes, but it seemed too small for Anna. Not price-wise, the pendant cost more than her first horse, but Elsa wanted to make up for the years she hadn't spent with her sister.

The pendant just didn't seem special enough. Elsa frowned. But what else could she give?

The door slammed open and Anna rushed inside. "Elsa!" she practically sang, "How was your morning?"

Elsa winced. She forced a smile. "It was fine, Anna. How was yours?"

Anna knelt next to Elsa, her skirts bunching beneath her legs. "Great! I got into a snowball fight with Olaf. I swear he wins every time."

"You do look a little worse for the wear." Elsa eyed her little sister. Anna's once clean red dress had water stains all over the bodice and back. The hems had ripped a little, fraying at the ends.

Sometimes, Elsa envied her little sister's ability to play. Other times – Elsa's gaze lingered on the clumps of dirt and twigs and snow in Anna's hair – she didn't envy it at all. How long would it take her to comb all that out?

"And he would win, since he's made of snow." Elsa got up, ruffled around in her closet for a moment and picked up a spare robe. She threw it at Anna. "Now go change before you make a mess."

Anna caught the robe and wandered into the adjacent bathroom. Her voice came out muffled.

"Snow and your magic! Have you tried to create any other creatures?"

Elsa sat back down, smoothening out her dress. It seemed an odd thing to bring up. They had never really spoken about Olaf before. "What? Anna, don't say such silly things."

"What, you created a snowman and he came to life." Anna's red dress flew out of the bathroom, crumpling beside the bed. "Why not build a puppy? Or a duck?"

"Anna…" Her sister could be so strange. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Anna appeared, wrapped up snug in Elsa's robes, blue with white trim. She left her dress on the floor. "Or a dragon?" She beamed. "Wouldn't it be great to have a dragon around?"

"Dragons aren't real. They're from fairytales." Elsa rolled her eyes. A dragon. Honestly. When had her sister gotten into that kind of mythology? Then again, Anna did spend a lot of time with Kristoff's family of trolls. Who knew what kind of stories they told her. And Elsa had just rekindled her and Anna's relationship last year. There were probably a lot of things she didn't know about her sister just yet.

Anna poked her in the side, drawing her attention. Anna smiled broader. "I bet it could guard the castle."

Elsa sighed. "Anna, they aren't real."

"But they could be. Have you been everywhere in the world?" Leaning forward, Anna made a grand gesture, her arms sweeping the room. She rambled on. "No. So somewhere they could be real. Bulda told me a story about them anyway, how there are trolls on the far islands that swear they've seen dragons. And yours wouldn't even have to be a very big dragon with scary teeth. It could be a little one, a tiny one. Miniature even."

"Anna!" Elsa's anger slipped out. The air grew colder. She already had a tough morning, bickering with her staff and negotiating with dignitaries, she didn't want to deal with her sister's wild fantasies, too.

"Okay, okay." Anna's smile slipped and she lowered her hands. "It was just a suggestion."

"I know." Elsa took a deep breath. The air warmed. "Look, I don't know how I built Olaf, I just did."

"Why not try again?" Anna shrugged.

Her sister was always so intense. Elsa clasped her hands on her lap. "I see no need to create other things. There are plenty of creatures already here in Arendelle."

Anna nodded. She took a deep breath, then blew it out again. "Well, I would love one." She wrinkled her nose and nudged Elsa. "And you know… my birthday is tomorrow. A tiny dragon would make a perfect gift for someone special!"

Elsa laughed softly. Some hint. "Now if only I knew who that special someone was…" Elsa murmured, giving her sister a small smile.

"You know what something else great would be?" Anna flopped back on the bed.

"What?"

"A snowstorm."

Elsa's smile widened as she waved her hand. Snow drifted past her window. Anna grinned.

Snow she could do… but dragons? Who knew where Anna came up with such ideas?

* * *

"Come on," Astrid muttered, backing up from the Monstrous Nightmare.

Its green scales flashed in the sunlight. Its bright yellow eyes narrowed. A puff of smoke curled from its mouth, drifting past its formidable row of teeth. The Nightmare crawled closer to her, its wings scratching the ground.

Astrid halted. Her heart pounded in her chest and she tried to ignore the sweat building up on the back of her neck. No matter how many times she worked with dragons, they always scared her at first. Even with her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, crouched behind her, she still feared the Nightmare.

Usually she'd just hide this fear behind a battle cry, but this was not the time, nor the dragon, to do it. If she wanted to tame this dragon, they couldn't fight it. They'd have to do it peacefully.

This probably wasn't the best place to confront the dragon. In a valley surrounded by very burnable trees. And so close to Berk, only a few minutes ride away. But she had found no other chance.

The Nightmare snaked its great head closer. Closer. So close Astrid felt its breath hot on her face and the scent of burnt coals it carried. She sifted through her knowledge of Monstrous Nightmares, how their most dangerous aspect is their fire jackets, the ability to engulf themselves in flame.

"I can do this. I've got this," she whispered mostly to herself but partly to Stormfly, too, who had started rumbling.

There were two ways to stop the attack. Grab the dragon by its horns and pin it to the ground. Her way. Or, touch the dragon. Hiccup's way. Pain spiked through her chest at the thought. Idiot. Now was not the time for being sentimental. Not when facing a dragon. Out of respect, though, she'd try his way first.

She shifted some of her weight to her back leg, readying to leap. Unless things went up in flames. Stormfly inched closer, into Astrid's line of sight. Too close to the other dragon.

"No," Astrid murmured.

Stormfly cocked her massive head, her nose-spike pointing conveniently towards the Nightmare.

Astrid shook her head. Stormfly blinked, then backed up.

Astrid turned back to the Nightmare. Its eyes burned. Astrid reached out her hand. The Nightmare shied away. Astrid moved faster, gently placing her hand on the dragon's snout. She spread her fingers wide, the Nightmare's scales rough under her fingers. The dragon's eyes closed. Its lips twitched up.

The dragon liked her touch. Despite her fear, Astrid always loved this part. This first meeting of a new dragon. This connection forged, if only tentatively between woman and beast.

She reached around to the basket tied to her waist and plucked a fish out of it. The dragon perked up. Still keeping her hand on the creature, she offered the fish. The Nightmare gobbled it up, then nudged her hand for a another.

"Good dragon," Astrid whispered.

Astrid leaned closer to the Nightmare, rubbing up its snout and wrapping her fingers around one of its horns. She eyed the dragon's leg, hitched up by its stomach. This particular Nightmare had been too feisty too close to Berk. It had broken one of its legs, in battle or somehow else. Astrid didn't know.

She ran her hand up the Nightmare's curved horn. This dragon had barreled into the village and set a stable on fire. And it could use help. No one could get close enough to touch it, but someone had to.

After all, they weren't in the business of sheep or pigs. Dragons could be wild, dangerous creatures if left untamed. Especially a wounded one.

* * *

Anna had left a few minutes ago to find some lunch. Elsa had promised to join her later on but right now, she wanted some quiet time. Elsa liked being alone. As Queen she hardly had any time to herself. Someone knocked on the door. Short lived as it may be.

"Enter," Elsa said.

Kristoff slipped inside and sat down. Elsa arched an eyebrow. First Anna and now Kristoff? Though the two visits couldn't be more different. Where Anna had been loud and excited, Kristoff seemed serious, too serious. It worried her.

Kristoff scratched the side of his head and ruffled his hair. He hadn't looked at her for a full minute. Not particularly strange, since his gaze usually lingered on Anna, but Anna wasn't in the room. They generally had a good rapport, though, her and Kristoff.

Finally he cleared his throat and lifted his gaze. "Elsa, I would like to ask for your permission, as Queen… and as Anna's sister, for Anna's hand in marriage. I have a ring. Here." He shoved a hand in his coat pocket and brought out a box, opening it. Inside rested a simple silver band. The ring glinted. "I would like to do it on her birthday tomorrow."

Elsa frowned. The ring would fit Anna perfectly. But of all the things he could have said, she expected that last. Kristoff had been good to Anna this past year since the eternal winter of hers. He treated her right and could provide if Anna needed it. And Anna really seemed to love him. But they were so young. Anna, at least, still had some… immaturity about her. Elsa waited the appropriate amount of time before answering.

Kristoff gulped, his adam's apple wobbling. She could only imagine the thoughts swirling around this man's head.

Finally she nodded. "The ring is beautiful. You have my permission."

Kristoff whooped.

Elsa raised her hand between them. "On one condition."

Kristoff's grin melted, but he leaned forward. "Anything."

The seriousness of his statement caused Elsa to pause. He truly did love her. "That reindeer of yours will not be allowed to lick me at anytime during the ceremony."

Had she just said ceremony? That seemed to be jumping ahead. He hadn't even proposed yet.

But Kristoff took it in stride. "Sven? Of course not. He'll be the one delivering the rings."

She smiled.

Kristoff stuffed the box back into his pocket and rose to his feet. "Speaking of, I should probably see how he's doing outside. He gets lonely if I don't visit when it snows."

"Of course." Elsa nodded. "Have a good night, Kristoff."

He lumbered out, shutting the door behind him.

Elsa got to her feet and wandered over to the window. She pressed her forehead against the glass and sighed. Arendelle could use a higher blanket of white every now and then. It certainly made her more comfortable. In fact, she could use a bit more, too. Kristoff's gift seemed so grand, so lovely. So perfect. Elsa wanted to do the same. She owed her sister that much.

Maybe she should try to make a dragon for Anna. After all, what could a little snow creature possibly do?

* * *

SQ: So, quick question, how's my portrayal of Astrid in her scene? She's on the louder side in the movies, but I figured she wouldn't talk much when facing a dragon. Let me know in the comments.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Elsa held her breath. It had been a long time since she made anything other than ice rinks and snowstorms with her ice powers. And even longer still, a snowman. Olaf had been her last one. But this one wasn't a snowman. It was a snow…dragon. She let her breath go in a puff. How hard could that be?

The empty dining hall seemed too big for her little experiment, but since Anna had just eaten, it was the only place that seemed safe. The staff would leave this place alone and Anna had probably rushed off to find Kristoff. Kristoff. Elsa's stomach tightened. Who had a ring for her little sister. And who would be asking her hand in marriage tomorrow.

She tried to push that thought away and concentrate on the dragon. What kind would she make?

Elsa pulled a thick, leather-bound book closer to her. _Creatures of Myth _didn't seem too comprehensive of a resource, but it had been the only choice. She flipped the dusty book open to the page and a half devoted to dragons. Large, fearsome creatures. Ones that breathed fire and brought death and destruction to everything they touched. Only one picture – a dragon with teeth extending past its jaw-line, a ridged back, and scales in every shade of red.

Elsa rolled her eyes and slammed the book shut. Not really the best birthday gift for a nineteen year old. "Maybe I could make it a bit more … approachable," she muttered.

But what kind of dragon would her sister like? She should've asked when the topic arose, but her annoyance had taken that opportunity away. Her annoyance did that for most things these days.

Rubbing her temple, she sat down at the table. Being Queen was not like she had expected. All the responsibility. All the stress. All the people wanting so many things.

She wanted to give her people everything they deserved and more, but the money didn't come in as much as they needed it. Her shoulders slumped. She had never been more easily annoyed. But she didn't want to turn into an angry Queen. It wouldn't be right, or fair, to run Arendelle like that. Not after her eternal winter.

Elsa swirled some snow in her hand. Even though it seemed her people liked her, she felt like she still needed to prove her worth. A snow dragon for their beloved princess might just do the trick.

She imagined the gleeful look on Anna's face. More than that, a snow dragon for her little sister would do wonders for Elsa's mood.

Conjuring up snowflakes, she pieced the crystals together, swirling them round and round until a shape appeared. Narrow wings past its flank, hooked claws on all four paws, ridged snout, tiny ears, a little pooch for the belly.

Elsa stepped back and eyed her work. The tail seemed too long, the wings, too narrow. What kind of ears did a dragon even have? She smoothed out some of the detail, pulled the claws in a bit, and cut the tail shorter.

Now it looked like a dog.

Elsa heaved a sigh. "What did I get myself into?"

Demolishing the dog, she tried again, this time focusing as much as possible on the details. A streamlined body, yes that would be good. And a narrow ridged tail the length of that body. Wide wings tucked by its back. A short neck and head. No, she demolished that. A little longer neck, with a rounded oval face. The snout ridged like before. Oval eyes. And a little oval belly, too. Was that too fat? She smoothed out the belly a little, then added claws to all four paws. Little pointed ears – the inset ones reminded her too much of a snake – and some ridges down the back of its neck for good measure. It had to look a little fearsome, being a dragon and all.

With a final flourish she added little details - a snowflake pattern down its back, blue-ice for its eyes, a semi-clear ice for its wings.

Elsa leaned back. The snow-dragon sat on its hindquarters, claws extended, mouth slightly open. Elsa added teeth, shorter ones, nothing like the picture in her book. She pushed the tail around one leg and curled it up towards its belly. Sealed some blue-ice in the ridges. The dragon, even if it curled up on its side, wouldn't fill one of their dinner plates.

Miniature. Elsa smiled. Just like Anna wanted.

But how would she call it to life? She thought back. With Olaf she was testing her powers, but this little dragon hardly counted as a test. And she never figured out how Olaf came to life. The snowman was so tightly linked to her childhood and the fun she had with Anna, that she always wished he was alive. For Anna's sake, of course. But a dragon?

Elsa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Why would I want a dragon to come to life?"

For Anna.

For when Anna left her to be with Kristoff.

For when Anna left her behind.

The dragon could protect her. It could be with her when Elsa wasn't. It could comfort her. Elsa sagged forward, resting her elbows on the table. Her vision watered. She would miss her sister so much. They had just started to get to know one another. And Elsa would be left alone. She conjured up some crystals and drifted them onto the dragon's belly. Anna would like the sparkles.

Elsa closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Kristoff hadn't even proposed yet and already she jumped forward to Anna moving out. She was being silly, getting this worked up. And maybe Anna wouldn't move out at all. Maybe Anna and Kristoff would live in the palace. Maybe…

Something nudged her elbow.

She raised her head and shrieked. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she leaned as far back as her chair would allow.

The dragon had come to life.

* * *

Astrid sauntered into the new training arena. The Monstrous Nightmare followed her. Of course it would. Astrid grinned. She was the best dragon trainer ever, after all. After Hiccup, of course. The Nightmare slipped inside, head low, eyes glazed. Stormfly stalked in after it. The Nightmare crouched in the corner of the arena, glaring at the pair. Astrid tried to quietly close the arena's gates, but the metallic clang couldn't be softened.

She turned her back on the Nightmare, a daring move since it hadn't really been trained yet. Stormfly would keep a close eye on the newbie. She put her mother's battle ax down, resting it on the stone wall, and glanced at the pair.

Stormfly kept her posture unaggressive, crouched but not tense, watchful but not viciously so. Still, the Nightmare glared. With all the new species from Valka's lair it seemed odd that this dragon would feel scared here. The other dragons fit in well enough with theirs. This was a Nightmare, though. Not like one of those Alpha beasts.

Astrid could handle a Nightmare.

She eyed the structure. But could this new training arena handle it? After the fight with Drago and the Bewilderbeast's destruction, they had to re-build. Hiccup had decided to re-build the training arena to mimic the one of old, the one where Vikings would kill dragons. Now they used it to train the new dragons, the ones that got a bit cranky. Like this Nightmare. Complete with a metal chains crisscrossing the top just in case a new dragon got out of hand. It replicated the place so well Astrid swore dragon blood lingered in the air. Impossible, of course.

The Nightmare snorted. A burst of flame shot from its mouth, calling her attention.

She smiled. "Come on, now, boy, it can't be that bad."

Reaching down she grabbed a fish and threw it up in the air. Stormfly darted up and snatched it. Astrid laughed. Only then did she spot Hiccup watching them from above, watching the newest dragon. Or analyzing her performance? She couldn't tell. Her laughter died down. An ache grew inside of her, seeing him again, but she pushed it away. As chief, didn't he have other things to worry about?

Patting Stormfly, she muttered, "Good girl. Now let him get it."

Her dragon landed with a thump, watching the new dragon as Astrid reached for another fish. Astrid tossed it over to the Nightmare. The Nightmare eyed the morsel, narrowed its eyes at Astrid, then gulped the fish down.

Astrid stepped closer. It wouldn't attack her. Not on her turf. Not with Hiccup watching. She reached for its horns, then ran her hands down the dragon's side. The dragon shifted, but Astrid moved with it. It snorted again. Astrid rolled her eyes. _Stubborn. _Some dragons didn't like human contact, but judging from their first encounter, this one certainly wasn't one. Pausing over the right hindquarter, she ran her other hand down its injured leg, testing for breaks.

The dragon jerked away and snapped at Astrid's hand. Stormfly darted over, grumbling, but Astrid waved her back. She slapped the Nightmare's snout. "Stop it."

The Nightmare blinked, shaking its head. It glared at Astrid, but didn't attack. Sometimes the harsher way did work. She fought the impulse to smirk at Hiccup. He probably disapproved.

Astrid frowned. "Look, I'm trying to help, you stubborn dragon. I gave you fish, didn't I? Now settle down."

The dragon lowered its head. She went back to studying the injury. Broken at the calf, the leg would need to be put in a splint in order to heal correctly. She leaned closer. The dragon carried some luck though, any further down and it would've lost the ability to walk. A mass of twigs and leaves stuck to one side. She'd have to get the stuff off to see the wound. The Nightmare certainly wouldn't like that. But it had to be done. If left alone, the wound might fester.

"Need any help there, Astrid?" Hiccup's voice rang through the arena.

Astrid winced. With an injured dragon, and one that the other Vikings weren't too keen on, she probably would need the extra help. Anyone's help other than his, that is.

* * *

Containing her scream, Elsa stared at the little dragon. Eyes wide, it reared on its hind legs and sent a small burst of ice at her. The dragon unfurled its wings and toppled backwards, head over claw. Landing in a heap, it drew its wings over its face and curled its tail around, forming a distinct, if tiny, wall between it and Elsa.

Elsa laughed. "Anna will love you."

She reached out her hand and stroked the dragon's wings. The dragon trembled. Elsa drew back. "Don't be scared, little one."

As if in reply, the dragon lifted its wing and stared at her with one beady eye. She smiled. "See, nothing to be afraid of."

Would the dragon be able to talk, like Olaf? It didn't seem to have the ability. The dragon stretched, flaring its wings behind and pushing its tail into the air. Then it sat back on its hunches, eyeing her.

Elsa pursed her lips. "Now what to do with you?"

A crash came from the kitchens, followed by a shout. "You better leave, Princess, or the Queen will have your head! You're not supposed to be in here until supper."

Another voice floated in. "Okay, okay. I just wanted some chocolate to hold me over."

Anna? Elsa couldn't believe her bad luck. The one time she actually didn't want to see her little sister. She looked back at the dragon. "We have to hide you," she whispered.

The dragon titled its head. Maybe it understood?

Elsa summoned her powers, forming a clear ice dome. When she slipped the new creation over the dragon, the dragon curled up into a tight ball and closed its eyes. Elsa nodded. _Good dragon. _

"Heavens, what am I doing?" she murmured, waving her hands a little. The dome became slightly opaque, then solid white.

Just in time, too. Anna slid into the room. "Elsa!" She rushed over to the table and sat in a chair next to her. "What's that?"

Anna reached out to touch the dome, but Elsa slapped her hand away. "Don't touch."

"Why not? Is it for my birthday?" Anna grinned.

"Yes," Elsa replied.

Anna squealed and hopped a little in her seat. "But I wanna see what it is."

A corner of the dome began to crack. Elsa fixed it with a nonchalant wave of her hand, sealing a shard of blue ice over fracture. "And I want to keep it a surprise. You'll see tomorrow." She waved at the archway leading out of the dining room. "Go find Kristoff."

Kristoff, the man who'd propose to her soon. Elsa's stomach flipped.

"Well, if you insist." Anna rose and gave Elsa a hug. "But I'd better be shocked and awed tomorrow by that little surprise of yours."

Elsa tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and waved as her sister disappeared around a corner. "Yes, tomorrow."

Once the bouncing footsteps faded away, Elsa sighed. She tapped the ice dome, shattering it. Empty. The dragon had forced an ice shard through the table, cracking it, leaving only a ring of ice in its path.

"Oh no!" Elsa peeked under the tablecloth. Nothing. She searched the windows. Nothing. Elsa ran her hand over the damaged wood, pads of her fingers tracing the cold shards, the splintered wood.

Elsa searched and searched and still couldn't find her newest creation. And it wasn't like she could tell anyone else that she created it. The people of Arendelle would panic. A creature of lore loose in the Arendelle. No one could know. But when she went to bed that night, her thoughts swirled. How could she have done such a stupid thing? Create a dragon. Where would a dragon even go?

* * *

Astrid had given the dragon some food and water then left him alone for a while. Perhaps the dragon wouldn't be as feisty after eating. Maybe she could do it alone. Really she just hoped if she stalled enough, Hiccup would be caught up in other chiefly duties. The Ruffnut or Tuffnut could help out. Once the light started to fade, though, Astrid knew she'd have to take care of that wound before the dragon fell asleep.

She went into the arena, Hiccup walking in after, bringing a bucket of water with him. Astrid didn't look at him. She couldn't. Hands slickening, she patted the dragon to get rid of the sweat. The Nightmare growled, a low rumble deep in its belly. Maybe it didn't like Hiccup. That would be a first. Astrid stroked the dragon's side and the Nightmare calmed. Astrid smiled. Yes, she was good at this.

"So," Hiccup said, plopping the water by Astrid's knee. "Where'd you find him?"

Astrid kept her eyes on the blood-red scales of the dragon's thigh. "In the valley a mile west of here."

"A mile?" Hiccup's voice rose. "Isn't that cutting it a bit close?"

Astrid frowned, her voice hardening. "Yeah, but I caught him, didn't I? I got him in here, didn't I?"

"True. How's his leg?"

"I need to clean the wound. You'll need to hold onto him. But be careful, he's stubborn."

"This guy?"

"Yes." Astrid glanced over her shoulder. Hiccup, clad in all his chiefdom glory, had his arms wrapped around the Nightmare's neck. The dragon closed its eyes and nuzzled Hiccup's shoulder. _How?_ She was good, but Hiccup would always be better. Astrid turned away. She hoped he hadn't noticed how the muscle in her jaw twitched. "Well, he was stubborn, then."

"I think he's just happy to have your hand on him." Hiccup said. She glared at him. "I-I mean, he's just happy that you're touching him. That you're around."

Astrid shook her head and turned back to the wound. They had gone back to his awkward phase then, it seemed. Well, everything would be awkward for awhile. "Just keep him still."

"Okay."

Stormfly started to growl. Astrid shook her head. She loved her dragon but Stormfly could be a little over protective sometimes. "I'm just helping him out, Stormfly, it's all right."

With sure hands, she removed the leaves and twigs, then sloughed some water onto the wound. The dragon trembled, but didn't jerk away. It wouldn't. Not with Hiccup around. Blood dripped down the dragon's leg, forming a puddle by its foot. Astrid pursed her lips and leaned closer. The wound seemed clean enough, but if she left it to air she feared the dragon would poke at it. Where's a cloth when she needed one?

"Here." A bundle of fabric fell at Astrid's feet. Hiccup cleared his throat. "I brought it along in case you wanted to bandage it."

Astrid sighed. He was a good chief. She'd give him that. "Thank you," she muttered.

She tied the bandage around the dragon's leg as quickly as she could and stepped back. Hiccup rubbed the Nightmare's neck once more, then he moved away as well.

The Nightmare peered at them, then at its leg.

Stormfly's growls grew deeper. Astrid ignored her, but Stormfly's tail bumped into her back. Astrid spun around and threw up her hands. "What?"

But Stormfly wasn't looking at her. Stormfly wasn't even looking at the Nightmare. Stormfly looked upward. Astrid stared, too. At first, she didn't see anything.

Then something glinted.

Something in the sky… glinted. The Nightmare growled, too. Another attack? Astrid started for Stormfly, intending to leap on her back. She didn't have to though. The glinting stopped.

A snowflake the size of a coin fell into the arena, landing soft on the hard-packed ground. Astrid inched closer. The snowflake lifted, spun, glowed it seemed. Then, all at once, a tiny white dragon crystallized.

* * *

SQ: Thanks so much for the reviews, favorites, and followers thus far! I promise in the next chapter Astrid and Elsa will meet. I wanted to do it in this one, but it got a bit long so I had to break it in two. I tried to make Astrid a bit cockier in her sections. What did you think of the little snow dragon's ability? And how do you think Hiccup's going to react? 1) Scream like a little girl? 2) Call for Toothless? or 3) Yell at Astrid?


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Stormfly lunged in front of Astrid. Even the Nightmare tensed. It seemed their dragons didn't like this newcomer.

Astrid moved closer. She slipped around Stormfly and crouched down. The miniature dragon titled its head at her. Beautiful. She had never seen anything so beautiful. The blue coloring on its wings practically glowed.

"It's a new species!" she whispered. "It has to be, look at its markings."

"And how it was a snowflake and now it's a dragon." Hiccup replied. He moved a little closer, too, sidling next to Astrid.

The miniature dragon darted away to the far corner of the arena, curling itself up, pulling its wings up to its little oval head. Its bright blue eyes widened. Even from this distance, Astrid could see it trembling.

"Maybe it doesn't like both of us at once." Hiccup slipped in front of Astrid. "I'll approach it first."

"What?" Astrid nudged him with her shoulder. He could be so— Astrid stopped herself. No need to get angry. Not right now. After their breakup, though, she tensed every time she came near him. And he seemed awkward around her, too.

But this seemed excessive. The dragon didn't seem to mind when she got closer, only when Hiccup did. Didn't he notice that?

"Just let me," Hiccup muttered. "If it's a new species, I have a better chance of getting closer to it than you do." He paused, his eyes widening.

Astrid arched her eyebrow.

Hiccup raised his hands. "That's not what it sounded like."

"Fine. If you're so great, then approach it already."

"Thank you." Hiccup smiled at her, but she didn't return the gesture. He inched closer to the white dragon. It curled up tighter, tucking its snout under its tail. Astrid moved closer too, she couldn't help herself. Hiccup towered over the creature now. He knelt.

"Don't be afraid." Hiccup reached out, almost touched the dragon.

The dragon flicked its tail away from its face and uncurled in one fluid motion. It bit Hiccup on the finger, sinking its white teeth far into his skin, then dashed away. Hiccup yelped and yanked his hand back. The chains rattled as the dragon flew to them.

He waved his bleeding finger in Astrid's face. "It bit me!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "You scared it."

She glanced at Stormfly and the Nightmare. Both had calmed down. It seemed they didn't need to be frightened of this new dragon. Its entrance had just startled them. She glanced up. The white dragon watched her, blue eyes glowing from the firelamps. If she could just get it to come down.

The dragon glowed, melting into a snowflake form and drifting to the ground. Once there, it crystallized again.

"Fascinating," Astrid murmured.

Astrid knelt next to the dragon, admiring its design. Blue ice formed swirls on its thighs, ridges poked from its snout and back. It pulled its wings around its body and scooted away from Astrid. But it still watched her with wide piercing blue eyes. And it didn't tremble.

She slowly reached out her hand, fingers extended, then stopped mid-way. The dragon puffed a few ice crystals her direction, displaying its teeth in the process. An aggressive gesture. But understandable. It was tiny after all. She pulled her hand back and pushed it to the ground instead. The dirt gritted against her palm. A rock pushed against her skin. But she kept it there. Maybe the dragon wouldn't be so afraid if the gesture came from below. She slid her hand closer to the tiny dragon.

The dragon watched, its ears pricking up. It tilted its head as Astrid stopped an inch or so away. They could almost touch. Astrid wanted to move faster, to run her fingers over the dragon's wings, to form a bond. But the dragon hesitated. So she did, too.

The dragon lowered its head, eyes latched onto hers, and nudged its snout next to her hand. It closed the gap, pushing its snout onto her fingers. Astrid smiled. She ran her hand as gently as she could over the dragon's snout, down its neck, over its wings. Cold. The dragon was so cold. But smooth, too. Its scales smooth as ice. The dragon cooed.

Hiccup knelt too. The dragon jerked up and stared at him. It flicked its eyes to Astrid then back to Hiccup. He reached out once again, but the dragon moved away, sliding closer to Astrid instead.

Astrid laughed softly. "It likes me."

"Yes, it does." Hiccup frowned.

The dragon perked up, bumping its head against Astrid's arm. It glared at the sky. With one last look at Astrid, the dragon took flight and zipped past the chains, its wings glinting in the firelight.

Astrid rose. "Wait!" she cried.

Stormfly bounded over to her, lowering herself so Astrid could climb on. Astrid did so, pulling Stormfly around, then glanced at Hiccup.

"Go," he said. "But don't travel too far. Not at night."

Astrid nodded. Stormfly crouched, then burst upward, swishing her wings down to gain altitude. Astrid knew she should listen to Hiccup. She knew she should listen to the Chief of Burk.

But she also knew she would go as far as she needed to in order to follow the little dragon.

* * *

Anna's birthday morning flew by. Elsa grimaced when she looked at the time, 11am. They were supposed to give gifts half an hour ago. Elsa twisted the piece of paper in her hand. As Queen, she would give a simple speech to honor the Princess of Arendelle's birthday. As Anna's sister, Elsa didn't want to mess up. She searched the sky. And she really wanted that ice dragon to come back.

More well wishers spilled through the open gates and onto the already crowded castle grounds. Elsa silently thanked them. The more the merrier… or rather, the more the better distracted Anna would be. Her younger sister greeted them in her usual cheerful fashion, hugs and grins all around. Elsa nodded to a few stranglers waiting their turn to see the birthday girl. She caught a snippet of their conversation as they passed.

"A whole year older!"

"And still more beautiful than the last."

"Yes, that dress is simply lovely."

Dressed in her favorite green gown, Anna did look pretty today. Her hair was up in a bun, done by Kristoff's mother, Bulda. For a stone troll, she had some magic to those fingers. Anna greeted another set of well wishers, a couple it seemed, their hands twined together, and shot a glance at Kristoff, who stood by her side.

Elsa smiled and caught Kristoff's eye. He nodded, then glanced away. He tugged at his coat, a bulge in his chest pocket shifting. Elsa, too, looked away. The ring. His ring. The one he would give to Anna. The special birthday gift Elsa couldn't possibly top. Not that it was a competition… but she did want her gift to be special, too. She fingered the necklace hidden in the folds of her dress. The pendant simply wasn't enough. Elsa glanced upward again, willing to see an icy glint in the cloudless sky.

The constant hum permeating the grounds since early this morning dimmed. Elsa glanced down. All eyes had drifted to her. She straightened. Oh heavens, had she forgotten something? Had one of the royal councils given an announcement she missed.

Then Anna bounded up to her. A tendril of brown hair slipped free of her bun. "Elsa, is it time for the gifts? Everyone's wondering."

Elsa tucked the stray hair behind Anna's ear, a sisterly gesture. Too sisterly perhaps for such a great occasion, but she didn't care. And neither would Anna. Anna's smile broadened. Elsa slipped her hand into Anna's and whispered, "Yes, Anna, it is time for the gifts."

She raised her voice to the crowd. "Before we begin with the celebration of gifts, I would like to say a few words."

Anna stepped back and bowed. Elsa always wished she wouldn't. But it was customary.

Elsa turned to the crowd. Tucking the slip of paper into her dress, Elsa cleared her throat. She knew what she wanted to say. "Today is Princess Anna of Arendelle's nineteenth birthday. Today, we honor royalty, as is customary. But more than that, today, we honor a wonderful woman. One who saved Arandelle from the eternal winter. Today, we honor the woman who saved you all."

Anna bit her lip and opened her mouth to speak, but the crowd cheered, drowning any words out. The crowd eventually fell silent.

"And today, we honor my little sister," Elsa continued in quiet voice. "Let us make this the best birthday celebration she has ever had. Let's start with the opening of the gifts." Anna whooped, then clapped a hand over her own mouth. Elsa smiled. "As it is obvious that is what the Princess has been waiting for." The crowd laughed. Bulda and the rest of Kristoff's family rolled quietly into the grounds. They remained in rock form, hidden from view. Elsa took a deep breath. She tilted her head to Kristoff. "If you'll begin."

Kristoff stepped forward. Elsa's stomach did a flip, her hands tingled. Her chest even tightened. _He's not asking you, idiot. Calm down. _She forced a smile and focused on the pair. She didn't want to miss a second of his proposal.

Anna went to him. The crowd formed a half circle around them. Kristoff took Anna's hand in his and swallowed, visibly. Elsa half smiled. So she wasn't the only nervous one.

"Anna of Arendelle," Kristoff began, "I have known you over a year, and have cherished every second of that time with you. I have gotten the privilege of knowing all your quirks. I know you are impatient. I know you are feisty and cheerful. I know you have an intense want for chocolate that can't be filled. And I know I am in love with you."

Anna smiled, tightening her grip on Kristoff's hand.

Elsa's eyes watered. One of her maids tugged on her sleeve and passed her to a tissue. She nodded her thanks and dabbed her eyes.

"And I also know I can't stand a second without you. You bring so much joy into my life, so much happiness and fun. And if you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy, too." Kristoff slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the box. He knelt and opened the box. The ring glinted. Anna gasped. The crowd did, too. "Anna of Arendelle, will you marry me?"

Anna didn't wait even a heartbeat. "Yes!"

They hugged. The garden erupted in sound. Elsa dabbed her eyes again. No crying. Not here. Not in front of her subjects. Thankfully no one really paid her much attention.

* * *

Worry gripped Astrid's stomach. Stormfly was fading fast. And who could blame her? They had been flying nearly all night long and most of the morning. They had never been this far away from Berk before. Of course her dragon would tire. But what really irked Astrid was how the white dragon never seemed to. It flew ahead of them the entire time. When they stopped, it would, like it was some sort of game, but the miniature dragon didn't seem worn out at all.

How was that possible?

Stormfly heaved, spiraling down then opening her wings when she found an updraft. The wind carried them high. Higher than the tiny dragon. Higher than the clouds even. The faint sound of cheering filtered through the white.

"What is that?" she muttered. Stormfly shook her head.

Astrid aimed Stormfly down again. They flew beneath the clouds and dipped lower still, following the little dragon. Astrid focused on the glinting creature. She didn't want it to transform into a snowflake and drift away.

When the noise grew, Astrid finally looked down. She gasped. They had flown to a land mass, and a huge one at that. Even from this high, Astrid couldn't see the other edge. Why was the little white dragon flying here, though? It didn't seem to have a dragon population. No, Astrid looked closer. No dragon had ever been here before. The houses were old and multiple stories high, the castle, undamaged.

Astrid pulled Stormfly up, higher than the little white dragon. In the distance, on the side of a mountain, a structure reflected the light. Did the little dragon belong there?

Astrid flew over the castle, careful to angle around the gardens so Stormfly's shadow wouldn't give them away. The people beneath them seemed too distracted anyway. A couple stood midst all the rest, hugging everyone. Their laughter carried up to Astrid. But a lone woman stood apart from the masses. The way she held herself, she had to be royalty. Stormfly dipped lower, low enough for Astrid to see the curve of the woman's body and the way her elegant red dress caught the light.

The little white dragon seemed to notice the same woman. It cooed.

Maybe it just got distracted.

The dragon plummeted to the ground, heading for the woman.

Astrid cursed. Maybe it got really distracted. Astrid swooped down, too.

* * *

After much hugging and hand holding and thank yous from Anna and Kristoff the place settled down once more. Anna ran over to Elsa and gave her a hug.

"Congratulations, Anna." Elsa smiled.

Anna hugged her again. "Thank you."

Elsa looked away, rubbing her arm. She didn't want to give Anna the necklace at all, but certainly not after all that fanfare. Why did she have to let Kristoff go first?

Anna tugged her around. "Did you have a gift for me, too?"

Elsa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Yes, but she didn't want to give it to her. Or maybe she could pass by her turn and give the necklace to Anna later on. Elsa shook her head, but Anna didn't get the hint. The crowd quieted.

Stuffing her hand in her pocket, Elsa's cheeks grew hot. "Anna, I don't know if…"

Anna interrupted her. "I'll like whatever you give me, Elsa. Anything at all."

Elsa drew out her hand, the necklace clasped tight in her fist. If only she could fling the gift away and try again. Or if she was wishing she might as well with for the dragon to come back. Her little ice dragon. She reached down and held one of Anna's hands in her own, intending on dropping the necklace into it. The little ice dragon, the one she had been searching for all last night and had given up hope for this morning, plopped down onto Anna's hand instead.

The crowd yelled. Some rushed away. But Elsa focused on her little sister's reaction.

Anna yelped. She dropped the dragon. It fell. Elsa tried to catch it, but the dragon slipped through her fingers and landed in a heap on the ground. One of its wings twisted oddly beneath it. The dragon bleated.

Elsa crouched down and propped it back up again. The dragon held the wing out from its body. Elsa winced. "I'm sorry, little one. I'll fix it, okay?"

The dragon looked at her with such sadness in its eyes Elsa just wanted to hug it. But that would just hurt it more. Besides this little one didn't really like contact very much anyway. Not yet.

"Sorry!" Anna, too, knelt down. "I'm so sorry. I just got scared and I didn't know what to do and I didn't realize it would be a live dragon and I didn't know you'd actually build me a dragon in the first place and-"

"Hush, Anna. Let me work."

Anna fell silent. Elsa summoned her powers. Ice crystals formed in between her hands. She pushed it towards the dragon, focusing the snow on the wing, mending the break. The wing healed. The dragon cooed and nuzzled against her hand.

But the crowd's screaming grew louder. More frantic. This wasn't how she pictured her gift giving at all. Yes it was a live dragon, but an ice one for heaven's sake. The people of Arendelle should be okay with it. They loved Olaf. Elsa rose. But her subjects weren't looking at her, they were looking above her. Elsa looked up just in time to see a burst of fire rocket down.

Elsa pulled Anna behind her, stepped over the little dragon, and put up her hands. She called up her powers and formed an ice shield. Flames barreled into the ice, heat seeping through even though Elsa put up more and more layers of cold to protect them.

When would this fire end?

Suddenly it did. But her shield warped her image of the attacker. It seemed like there were lots of them, flying around. But that couldn't be right. She shattered her ice. Only one creature attacked Arendelle. Only one terrifying fire-breathing dragon attacked. And atop the dragon rode a woman. A woman clad in leather battle gear, complete with a double-sided ax twice the size of Elsa's head strapped to her back.

The dragon swooped down once more.

* * *

SQ: Okay so they didn't technically _meet_, but they SAW EACH OTHER danggit! I tried. I really tried. But I loved where this section stopped and decided to stop the chapter here, too. Hate me if you'd like, but I _**will**_ have them meet in the next one. Thanks for all the followers and favs thus far!

_Sy Itha and Michelle_ - I know you wanted to know more about Astrid and Hiccup. That won't come until later on, but I promise it will come.

_KAOSmaster_ - Thanks for pointing that out. There is a reason they're acting so off. I touched upon it a little bit in this chapter, but more will come later.

What do you think will happen next? Will there be 1) an epic battle between fire and ice, 2) an epic battle between Elsa and Anna, or 3) an epic battle between Stormfly and the still-unnamed dragon?

Have a lovely Fourth of July weekend!


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four **

Astrid gathered up the reins and tightened her hold, but Stormly had already gone into the dive. Her dragon spit fire at the woman in red. Another shield of ice appeared. Where did it come from? The other partygoers screamed, the sound rising in waves. Astrid yanked Stormfly to the side and her dragon listened. They soared over the people and raked up the castle's buttresses.

She tried to rein Stormfly in further, but her dragon had gone into a rage. Astrid had never seen her so angry, but she could understand. The woman in the green dress, the one so happy before, had injured the miniature dragon. And the woman in red had knelt down and seemed to injure it more. Or at least Astrid hadn't gotten a clear view of the white dragon after that. What else would a person do if she had never seen a dragon before?

Attack it, of course.

That was how Berk once chose to deal with the dragons.

Stormfly had responded accordingly.

But where had all the ice come from? Curious, Astrid maneuvered Stormfly to face the woman in red. The younger woman hiding behind her. The crowd cowering on the side of the garden.

Astrid narrowed her eyes. She couldn't see the miniature dragon anywhere. And then, peeking around the woman's red dress, the white dragon appeared.

* * *

She glared at the dragon flapping its wings above her. At the barbaric woman riding on its back. Her heart beat frantically against her chest. Surely everyone could hear it.

They had attacked Arendelle. They had attacked her. Her thoughts spiraled. Maybe the bigger dragon wanted to eat Anna's? Heavens, did dragons even do that?

She felt a pinprick by her foot, the snow dragon's claws had punctured her thin shoes and hit skin. The little dragon eyed the newcomers. The screams from her people distracted her too much. The pressure of Anna's hands curling around her arm, and her breath hot on Elsa's neck did, too. And now her little snow dragon wanted to take a look. But the snow dragon would get pummeled by its bigger kin. If they even were kin to begin with. It couldn't be a coincidence as soon as the snow dragon showed up again, a bigger one followed.

She shoved it back with her foot. A little too hard perhaps, the dragon squeaked as it fell backwards in between her and Anna.

A growl drew her gaze upward to her attacker. The blue dragon flew a bit higher. Its claws extended. Its mouth opened in a silent scream, then filled with fire. Elsa summoned her powers, calling the cold to her fingertips.

A burst of fire screamed through the sky. Elsa hesitated, shifting her decision between attack or defend. Her people yelled again, pointing at the flames barreling toward her. Defense. For now. She threw up her ice shield once more. The fire burned the edges of her shield, but couldn't penetrate. Once the fire ended, Elsa dropped her shield. Smoke poured over her, thick, dark, filling her lungs. A cinder singed her lip. She yelped and wiped the cinder away. Coughing, she blew the smoke away with a gust of snow.

The dragon swooped away once more. Elsa turned to the guards rushing out of the castle. "Take my people inside. Guard them!"

One of the closest guards tilted his visor back, a lock of curly brown hair poking from the side. "But your Highness, what about –"

"Go. Now!" She couldn't let him finish. Not with the dragon swooping back down again. Not with her people out in the open. The guard nodded and called out orders to the others. They began herding her people inside her castle.

The dragon came closer, but the woman yanked something and the dragon turned. Reins? Did this woman control the dragon? Elsa didn't know. And right at this moment, she shouldn't care. She turned to Anna. "You go, too, Anna."

Anna tightened her already death-grip hold. "Elsa, no!"

Elsa pushed her away. "Yes, please you have to go and help protect the others. Keep them calm and safe. I'll deal with this."

"But, Elsa –"

Elsa scanned the gardens. Kristoff stood by the castle doors, ushering people inside. "Kristoff!"

He rushed over and took Anna's hand. "Yes, Elsa?"

Elsa nodded to her little sister. "Get Anna inside." She felt, rather than saw, the snow dragon tuck itself closer to her. Her ankles grew colder, the backside of her dress pushed slightly between her legs. If it wanted to stay, fine, but her sister had to leave.

"Elsa, no." Ann's voice grew louder. "I want to help you!"

Kristoff looked between the two sisters. Elsa locked her jaw. He wouldn't say no to her. After a few too many heartbeats, he inclined his head. "Yes, your Highness."

He pulled Anna away. Anna struggled, but couldn't break free of his grasp. Thank the heavens for Kristoff's mountain hands.

"And close the doors!" Elsa called after the pair. Kristoff did. The doors slammed shut. "You there." She pointed at the guard near the gates. "Close them, too, and keep to the perimeter. Guard the doors to my home."

_And to Anna._

The guard sheathed his sword then, with the help of three others, closed the gates. They hugged the walls, like Elsa ordered, and stood in front of the castle doors. For the first time she was happy that all of Arendelle had stopped by for Anna's party. At least she could protect everyone now. Of course, more dragons could just fly over the gates and attack, but Elsa wanted to hinder a ground attack anyway. Just in case.

And keep the dragon's attention on her and her alone.

She eyed the dragon. It flew directly above her – close enough that Elsa noticed the straps buckled around the creature's off-white belly – and circled the garden. Once it aimed its blue and white snout at Elsa, she raised her hands. She didn't want to fight, but if necessary, she would attack this creature. If necessary, she would protect her people. She called up her powers, the familiar tingling in her hands, the recognizable chill surrounding her.

But really it was up to her attackers. What would their next move be?

The blue dragon lingered, flapping its wings, glaring at her. The woman atop her dragon stared, too. As if she waited for something, just like Elsa.

Elsa felt another pinprick by her foot, then a searing pain. The dress of her skirt rustled. A flash of white passed by her shoulder. The miniature dragon rose into the air. It started for the attacker. No! Elsa grabbed the dragon by its tail and pulled. The dragon's tail snapped in half. It cried out and fell to the ground. Anna's snow dragon looked up at her with watery eyes. The end in Elsa's fingers shattered.

* * *

Astrid didn't know how it was possible, but somehow that woman just broke off a piece of the white dragon's tail. Her throat tightened, ending her horrified yell. Stormfly roared. No way Astrid would let this woman torture the white dragon. It clearly wanted to leave. And Astrid was going to help it.

The woman in red crouched over the miniature dragon, hiding it from view.

Perfect time to attack.

Astrid put Stormfly into a dive. "Now!"

Stormfly answered her cry by shooting more flames. The fire sped toward the ground. The woman turned, and started to bring another sheet of snow. This time Astrid really watched. This time she would see where the all the damn snow came from.

As the woman moved her hands, snow followed. The crystals solidified into one solid shield. The woman produced the snow. Produced the snow? That wasn't possible. Stormfly's fire wouldn't melt the woman's shield, so Astrid made Stormfly dive again. Her dragon clawed the shield. It shattered.

The woman in red remained still. She waved her hands and the ice returned. The ice hung in the air, then darted towards them like daggers. Like freaking ice daggers. What was this woman? Astrid commanded Stormfly better than ever before, darting in between the ice shards. They kept low to the ground, that way if Stormfly needed to she could land and run. Sometimes her dragon was faster on foot.

A snowflake caught her in the eye and she blinked the pain away. One of the shards caught her on the cheek, slicing her skin. She yelped at the sudden frost more so the pain, then gritted her teeth. The air seemed colder down at this woman's level. A burst of cold air pushed her back, making her shiver. Even in the direct sunlight it seemed cold. And Astrid didn't like it.

Astrid pulled Stormfly up again. A few feet up and the air grew warmer again. "This is where we stay, Stormfly. Up here."

Stormfly tossed her head and eyed the woman down below. She shot some of her tail spines. They sped towards the woman in red. The woman's eyes widened and she jumped out of the way.

"Betcha didn't expect that," Astrid muttered.

The woman tumbled to the side, caught her balance on her fountain. She waved her hand over the fountain and a sheet of ice burst from it, spearing into the air, crisscrossing around Stormfly and Astrid. Like a cage.

Stormfly roared and shot flames at one side of the cage. It melted. Astrid kicked Stormfly's sides, and her dragon crashed through the cage. Slivers of ice caught on Astrid's armor, the ice breaking off and falling to the dirt.

Astrid had Stormfly dive again, shooting flames at the woman. The woman deflected a few of the flames. They hit the garden and reduced her flowers to ash. One of the flames headed to the castle door. The guards there leapt out of the way but the flames only blackened the wood.

"No!" the woman yelled, her voice high and clear.

The woman traversed her garden and stood in front of the castle doors. She shoved one of her hands forward and a burst of ice flew through the air toward Astrid. Stormfly dodged it. The woman threw another, then a third, then a forth at them. They dodged those, too.

Astrid narrowed her eyes. That couldn't be it. The woman smiled.A cracking sound came from behind Astrid. She spun Stormfly around and faced a wall of ice. Astrid gasped. A wall. Of ice.

She threw an arm over her face. As if that would help anything. Stormfly reacted better. She landed on the ground and darted away, her speed carrying them far enough away from the falling structure. The cold air pierced through Astrid's lungs. Like back on Berk. Only stranger. Stronger. Stormfly took to the air again and the warm wind whisked the cold away.

Astrid patted her dragon. "Good girl."

The woman twisted her hands and the structure disappeared before it hit the ground, splintering then shattering into snowflakes.

But Astrid had had enough.

She maneuvered Stormfly around and spiraled into a dive, her speed faster than ever before. Enough of the ice. Enough of the snow. She'd burn her way to this woman. The woman put up an ice shield again, but Stormfly's spikes shattered it. They barreled closer. The woman spiraled her hands. Ice swirled around her.

"Now!" Astrid yelled.

Stormfly let go a huge burst of continuous flame. The woman counteracted with an ice burst of her own.

Fire and ice met in the middle. Astrid pulled Stormfly up and they hovered, Stormfly still spewing heat. The ice kept coming, though. And Stormfly dipped a little.

Astrid patted Stormfly on the neck, urging her dragon on. But Stormly tired. Of course she did. Flying all the way here and then to engage in battle.

Maybe not the best idea.

But it wasn't like Astrid could just stop.

Suddenly Stormfly did. She ran out of flames. She had to take a breath.

Ice broke through and surrounded Astrid. Cold. So cold. Everywhere was so cold. Astrid hunched forward, yelling. Stormfly's hide and Astrid's armor protected them from the worst of the blast, but still. Stormfly dropped to the ground in a heap, landing crookedly. Astrid tipped from the seat and toppled to the dirt. She pushed herself up, unhooking her axe. Stormfly flopped in front of her, fainting injury and hiding her from view.

Astrid pumped herself up for a few heartbeats. She'd attack on foot, then. Have Stormfly launch from behind. But she needed a secondary attack if her first plan failed. If the woman somehow iced her axe. The spines!

She eyed the ground by the fountain in one quick sweep. The spines from Stormfly's earlier attack had hit the dirt, completely surrounding the little white dragon. It wiggled its butt and lowered its front half in a clear sign of play, but it couldn't squeeze free from its spined cage. The little white dragon's tail glinted, its entire tail.

How did its tail heal? No matter, she'd ask Hiccup and the others later on.

The woman in red approached the little dragon and put out her hand. Astrid crouched, heart thudding against her chest. Her anger and fear overrode her other thoughts. The woman hurt the little dragon. And the woman attacked Astrid. She couldn't imagine what this woman might do now, with the miniature dragon trapped like it was. Breaking off more of its limbs, maybe.

Astrid tightened her hold on her axe. She'd defend that dragon as much as she possibly could. To the end, even, if it came to that. No dragon should go through that kind of abuse. Signing to Stormfly, she took a breath, then lunched herself, screaming from behind her dragon's protection.

* * *

Elsa stood and narrowed her eyes as the barbaric woman came toward her, yelling. Elsa readied her powers. The blue dragon seemed knocked unconscious but she kept one eye on it just in case. Her little white dragon was fine after that… incident… with its tail. It cooed at her once she had fixed it and apologized. It even nuzzled against her thigh. She stepped in front of it. Caged, it couldn't fly away or protect itself.

So she would protect it.

The barbaric woman raised her axe. Elsa flicked snow at her, intending on stopping the woman, but not harming her.

The blue dragon leapt to its feet and sped in between them, flicking the snow away with its tail. Spikes flew at her. Elsa drew up a shield, stopped the spikes, then threw the shield away.

Elsa crashed a flurry of snow into the dragon, shoving it to the side and pinning it there. It didn't have any more fire. Well, it stopped breathing fire at least, so perhaps she could just hold it there. She kept one hand raised for that task and trained the other on the barbaric woman still rushing at her.

Elsa knocked her off her feet with a small wave of snow. Her hair, braided down her back, loosened a few strands over her face. The woman got up again. Stubborn. Elsa swirled her powers around and encased the woman, neck down, in clear ice. Her axe clattered to the ground. The blue dragon roared, but she transformed the snow on top of it into clear ice, too. Unbreakable.

The castle door creaked open and Anna rushed out. "Elsa, that was amazing!" Anna hugged her. Apparently her little sister waited for her to be done. The rest of the kingdom spilled outside, too.

Elsa stepped in front of her, blocking her from their attacker. "Anna, you shouldn't be out here." She raised her voice. "None of you should."

The woman struggled, drawing her attention.

"Don't move," Elsa muttered.

The woman squirmed anyway. Then, panting, she stopped. "Just who do you think you are? Let me go. Now!"

Anna stepped beside Elsa and folded her arms. "Excuse me, you're talking to the Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. And my older sister. Show some respect."

"Anna," Elsa said, a warning edge in her voice. "There could be more."

"There aren't," the woman replied. "Just me."

Elsa arched her eyebrow. "And who are you, then?"

The woman gave her a level stare, her blue eyes narrowing. "My name is Astrid Hofferson."

"It was interesting to meet you, Astrid Hofferson." Elsa nodded to the guards lingering beside the crowd. "Take her to the dungeon."

* * *

SQ: Sorry for the late update with this story. I'm moving and trying to get everything organized has become more of a hassle then I realized. I hope to be more consistent in posting a new chapter every week!

Thanks so much for the new comments, favorites, and follows thus far! I've been happily surprised that a pairing like this has followers, I worried it was a bit too out of cannon. Eh, I'll blow it up anyway. *grins* What do you think will happen next? Will they 1) Argue, 2) Name the snow dragon, or 3) Find even MORE dragons?


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Astrid huddled against the cot, refusing to use the moldy blanket and pillow, preferring the ground. A thin layer of dust coated the area. It seemed like peace persevered here. Wherever she was. At the very least, no one had used this place in a while. That thought comforted her. She hadn't landed in a warring kingdom and put Berk in jeopardy. Not yet, anyway. Well, a human war anyway. Her shoulders tensed. The dragons this kingdom could have a problem with.

She stood, wrinkling her nose at the musty earth scent permeating her dungeon cell. A window looked out over the gardens. A band of guards stood at attention around Stormfly. The ice woman – what had the brunette called her? Elsa? – kept Stormfly contained in a cage of ice. Stormfly had tried to get free, tried to stop the guards from taking Astrid away, but that woman kept her hold on Astrid's dragon.

Stormfly hadn't calmed down yet. Not since they took Astrid away. Her dragon paced the cage and kept hurling spikes. The ice woman shielded them away. Stormfly even tried to run into the cage, to break the bars, but the ice woman deflected that attack, too, freezing Stormfly in place. She finally settled down. As much as she could, at least, while glaring at her captures.

"Good girl," Astrid muttered. If Stormfly writhed any more the ice woman might not be so forgiving.

The brunette kept trying to get closer to Stormfly but the ice woman pulled her back for the third time and pointed at the miniature dragon. The brunette gestured widely, almost knocking into a guard. Another man, dressed in full mountain gear, drew closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The ice woman went to the miniature dragon too and knelt down. Astrid held her breath. Her fingers itched for her axe. Would they torture it right now? Astrid squeezed her eyes shut.

* * *

"Oh for heaven's sake, Anna, just leave that dragon alone and take care of this one." Elsa glanced at the snow dragon still cowering in its makeshift cage. She poked her finger through and rubbed its trembling neck. "Hold on, little one."

She yanked the spikes from the ground. The spikes had been embedded so deep in the dirt it took more strength than she would be willing to admit. Anna still hadn't made her way over. Elsa glanced over her shoulder and shouted. "I made you this one, now get over here!"

Anna stopped in her tracks, one hand reaching for the enemy dragon, the other being yanked back by a guard. Anna took one more last look at the blue dragon, untangled herself from the guard, and darted to Elsa's side. Kristoff stayed by the guard, staring at the enemy dragon. As Anna fell to her knees beside Anna, Elsa noticed him shift ever so slightly to the side, blocking Anna from the dragon.

"Sorry, it's just seeing two dragons in one day. One so small, and the other one so huge, it's crazy I didn't know they even existed until now and even then I –"

"Anna." Elsa sighed. "Please just help me get this little one free. I need to speak to the prisoner."

Ann slipped forward, digging her hands into the dirt and prying a stake out of the ground. Chunks of dirt splattered onto her gown. Some even caked into her engagement ring. "And that woman! Who does she think she is, talking to you like that? But then again she does ride a dragon so that's pretty impressive. She rides a dragon. A dragon! The books said nothing about that."

"The book say nothing about dragons being real, either." Elsa tilted her head towards the blue dragon. "But clearly they are." She lifted the one more spike from the earth and the miniature dragon rushed out. It cooed a thanks then shuffled beside Elsa's skirts. She patted its head.

Elsa took Anna's left hand in her own and cleaned off the ring. Anna didn't seem to notice. But later on, once all the excitement died down, she would.

"Well, clearly! I can't believe you made it for me." Anna gestured to the snow dragon. She tried to pet the little dragon. It cowered away, shaking. Anna frowned. "I'm not going to hurt you, sweetie."

Elsa stroked its neck, trying to calm the trebling creature. "Well you did drop it, Anna."

Anna arched an eyebrow. "And you broke its tail in half, Elsa."

The dragon wrapped its tail around its body. The scales glinted, its tail long and whole.

"I fixed it though." Elsa whispered, running her fingers across its back. "I didn't mean to hurt it."

Anna covered Elsa's hand with one of her own and squeezed. "I know."

"I just can't believe how fragile it is." Elsa tucked the dragon closer to her knee. The coldness of the dragon didn't bother her anyway, and perhaps the dragon needed comfort. It had stopped trembling and seemed fine. _But I broke its tail._ Elsa groaned. "Olaf isn't this frail. He could get impaled and still be okay. He takes himself apart!"

Anna placed her hand on the ground and slid it slowly towards the dragon. Its eyes widened as Anna moved closer and closer. Her voice quieted. "Well, this dragon is made of ice, and Olaf is mostly snow. Maybe snow behaves differently than ice. Ice can shatter more easily. Just like this little guy."

Anna's fingers finally made contact with the dragon's snout. The dragon stilled for the barest of breathes, then reared back, pushing itself into Elsa's leg and almost toppling over. She caught it before it fell all the way._ It's so light._ The dragon cooed, and nuzzled closer. It's back pressed into Elsa's side, wings curling around her arm, tail wrapping around her , but comforting. Ice. An ice dragon. Not a snow one. Elsa let herself enjoy the feel of this dragon in her hands for a few more seconds, then rose.

Anna looked up. "Be careful when you speak to her."

The ice dragon looked up, too, its wide eyes blinking.

"I will. And you be careful with her dragon." Elsa made the smallest of gestures to the blue dragon. Anna nodded. The strange dragon seemed calm. It had finished thrashing around at least. But Elsa didn't want to leave Anna alone with the enemy, not even for a second.

That huge dragon eyed Elsa as she made her way into her castle. Challenging her it seemed. She frowned. The dragon titled its head, moving its tail back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Its spikes dug little rows in the ground. Yes. Definitely a challenge.

Elsa took one last sweeping look at the gardens before closing the doors. Kristoff, standing in between Anna and the strange dragon, the guards milling around it, Kristoff's family hiding in plain sight. Anna would be fine. Just for a little while. Elsa turned away and shut the doors. Her heart still pounded against her chest. She took a few deep breaths.

"Time to calm down, Elsa," she murmured to herself as she made her way down to the dungeon. "Calm. Control. Everything will be all right. Calm. Control."

But her thoughts wouldn't calm down. The air around her chilled, ice pooled in her palms. With every thought came a new terror. There are just not one but two dragons outside, one frolicking freely that Elsa herself had created and another one that attacked her kingdom.

And the first prisoner Arendelle had in years (not counting herself) currently sat in her dungeon. How would she ever go about interrogating a prisoner? Her parents had never taught her that. Now more than anything, she wished her father was still alive. What would he have done?

She reached the dungeon, the air taking on a distinct damp scent. Memories flooded back to her. The eternal winter she created. That idiot Hans trying to take over. How she almost killed Anna. Elsa bit her lip. She had to calm down.

Elsa stopped just short of the guards at the prisoner's cell. Taking another deep breath, she approached them. The air lost its bite, but just slightly.

One guard shifted, pulling his jacket a little closer to his body. The other female guard nodded to the cell. "She hasn't said a word, your Highness."

Elsa tilted her head. "Very well. Let's hope she doesn't make this too difficult."

Was that the thing to say in this situation? Elsa didn't know. But the guards seemed to agree. They unlocked the cell and swung open the door for her.

Elsa cleared her throat. "Keep watch."

The female guard's brown eyes softened, and she smiled. "We will, your Highness. You need only call."

Nodding, Elsa stepped into the cell.

* * *

The ice woman walked in. With her shoulders thrown back and her hands clasped in front of her, she seemed tense. Nervous. What did the she have to be nervous about? She wasn't the one locked in a dungeon without her dragon.

Astrid looked away, focused on the far wall, the one with a crack the size of her fist. There was dirt in that fissure, too. Did no one clean this place?

The woman came deeper into the room. She stopped by the window and put her hand on the sill. Light spilled through the window, capturing minuscule sparkles sprinkled throughout this woman's hair, glinting off the sequins in her dress, and accentuating her high cheekbones. Beautiful. Astrid blinked. Beautiful? Gods no.

The woman turned to stare at Astrid. "From where do you hail Astrid Hofferson?"

Astrid shivered. Her name dropping from this woman's lips caused it? A tingle raced down her spine.

She rubbed her shoulders and frowned. "I could ask you the same question, Elsi."

"Elsa." The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then clasped her hands again. She shifted from one foot to the other before settling down.

"What?"

"My name is Elsa." Elsa straightened. Still, she didn't seem too sure of herself in here. "I am Queen of Arendelle. Queen of this kingdom. You must be from a far away to not recognize my name."

Astrid frowned. Should she tell the truth? The woman tortured a dragon. And she captured Stormfly. But lying wouldn't help the situation if she found out the truth later on it would only set her on edge. She wished Hiccup were here, he always knew how to handle these situations. To talk it out. He'd know how to talk his way out of this.

And he would tell this woman the truth. "I'm from Berk. It's more than a night of dragon-flying to get here."

"You flew here on your dragon."

It was more of a statement than a question. Astrid rested her back on the wall, the cold permeating through her armor and tingling her neck. Her dragon.

This woman stared at her for a bit too long. It made her uncomfortable, but a nice uncomfortable. The woman was quite pretty. But this woman also tortured the miniature dragon. "Don't hurt Stormfly."

Elsa bit her lip. She seemed to think better of it. "Why would I hurt your dragon?"

Astrid leaned forward. "Um, how about because you smashed that miniature dragon's wing and broke its tail."

"I didn't mean to." Elsa turned away, her braid swinging over her shoulder.

Her words came out so fast, Astrid had to strain to hear them. "You didn't mean to hurt it?"

Then what did this woman mean to do?

A chill settled in Astrid's stomach. _Oh gods._ "Did you mean to kill it?"

Elsa spun back around, her blue eyes wide. "No, heavens no. Why would I want to kill it?"

Astrid's head pounded. This didn't make sense. A chill that had nothing to do with Astrid's stomach settled in the cell. Astrid wanted to rub her arms, but forced herself not to. "Then what did you want to do."

Elsa shook her head and straightened. She took two deep breathes before answering. "That is none of your concern."

Astrid titled her head, but Elsa continued before Astrid could speak.

"I-I will have my council verify your location and come back for more information later." Elsa started for the door.

Rising to her feet, Astrid strode over and grabbed Elsa's arm. Even the woman's skin was cold. But Astrid found, in an awkward way, she kind of liked the chill under her fingers. It felt good actually. Too good. Astrid shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Please don't hurt Stormfly."

Elsa stared at Astrid, her gaze flicking down to Astrid's hold. A slight blush crept up Elsa's cheeks. "I will be back later for more information."

Astrid released her hold and Elsa knocked on the door. Someone – the guards Astrid figured – opened it from the outside and Elsa slipped out. The heavy metal door clanged shut.

* * *

Elsa walked down the hallway towards the main hall. The council would be there. She willed the heat to ebb from her face, sending a breeze of cold air towards her cheeks to help the process.

The interrogation had been a wash. She'd done horribly! Stumbling over words, blurting out too much, heavens she didn't even know where to stand in the stupid tiny cell. Too close and she got uncomfortable, too far away and she didn't feel intimidating enough. Plus, she thought eye contact would be good, but her gaze kept straying to the woman's lithe form. Nothing went right.

And the boldness of that woman shocked her. Grabbing Elsa's arm like that. Heat crept again up her neck and flowed into her cheeks. She pressed a hand to her forehead. Astrid had been so close Elsa could see the different colors in the woman's eyes, how a bit of brown flecked the surface. Elsa could still feel Astrid's palm pressed against her skin. And the heat it left behind.

Elsa rubbed her arm. Where had her thoughts wandered to? Ah, yes, the boldness of that woman!

She was Queen! She should be able to handle any situation that came her way. She passed by a window overlooking the gardens. At the dragons still outside. Any situation. Her thoughts strayed to the prisoner, the one named Astrid Hofferson.

But Elsa had a hunch that the pretty barbarian would be a situation all her own.

* * *

SQ: Sorry this is later than I would've liked. A friend of mine got married and I quit my job, so it's been interesting around here lately. I'm flying to Portland on Wednesday so expect delays then. I'll try to update normally, of course, if I can.

Also – for fans of _The Fire In Her Eyes_, I'm working on the next chapter of that, too, and hope to have it up soon. As like this one, life's been getting in the way a bit.

Thanks for all the comments, favorites, and followers thus far! Don't forget to review, I love hearing your thoughts.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

The council was less than pleased with Elsa's findings. Even less so with Elsa's refusal to kill the dragon. Slay the dragon! That seemed to be the way the council wanted to deal with this newcomer. And, perhaps under different circumstances, Elsa would've considered it. But she had made an ice dragon for her little sister.

So for a little while, she leaned towards being a little… nicer than death for it. After all, what would become of the ice dragon if she killed the enemy one?

Elsa shivered, more from being in this giant throne room than anything. Silly custom, anytime they council banded together it had to be in the throne room, heavens forbid it be someplace comfortable.

Elsa shifted in her seat, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and smoothening her dress. A silly nervous habit, but one hard to break, even here before the council.

"Don't be absurd. We can't kill it!" The shout surprised Elsa out of her thoughts, and she gazed at Councilwoman Mira. Could it be they had been swayed otherwise, too?

"What?" Another councilwoman named Verire yelled.

"Not here," Mira retorted. "Imagine the taint it would put on our castle's grounds. On the gardens!"

Without any thought for the dragon. Elsa rolled her eyes, then blinked. Heavens, she sided with the creature too easily.

"Perhaps we could take it to the ocean. Drown it in the waters?"

"And taint the sea?" Verire sputtered. "What would our merchants think, a dead beast in their waters and a strange one at that? Never!"

The screaming became too much. Else cleared her throat. The other two councilmembers looked her direction and inclined their heads. Mira and Verire did not. So Elsa lifted her voice, "Perhaps we could discuss this in a calmer matter."

Mira and Verire stopped their bickering at once and bowed to Elsa. "I'm sorry, your Highness, but this is a matter far beyond our scope, beyond our wildest dreams that–"

Frowning, Elsa interrupted. "And yet you decide to destroy it right out of the gate?"

"It attacked Arendelle, Queen. It attacked your sister. It attacked you. And the barbarian atop the beast was no better," Mira said, folding her arms in a very undignified manner. She seemed more childlike every second.

"It is the start of war, my Queen." Verire pounded her chest, something very unfit for a councilwoman but quite in the realms of her warrior past.

"I do not condone the attack or the harm it has done to my people." Elsa used the word 'harm' lightly, none of her people had been injured, but the fear would be more than enough. "However, we should not rush headlong into a war with an unknown band of people, especially ones with such great dragons at their control."

This statement made both feisty councilwoman pause. As Elsa wanted it to.

Councilman Itemas spoke, his deep gravely voice showing his age more than his speckled black and white beard. "Have you found anything about the prisoner during your first interrogation?"

At the word interrogation, Elsa blushed. _Some interrogation._ But years of training kept her face neutral. "Her name is Astrid Hofferson. She hails from a place called Berk."

The council nodded, as if controlled by some single force. Eerie, how well the council did such actions, but then again, they always seemed eerie to Elsa.

Elsa hoped they would not ask more questions. Shame burned through her when councilwoman Mira opened her mouth to speak. "How far away is this… Berk?"

Breathing deeply, Elsa smiled. A question she could answer! She cleared her throat. "Berk is some time away, though I cannot know for sure how far away from Arendelle, as the prisoner used a dragon's flight as a means of distance."

This brought out a new fresh wave of indignation from Councilwoman Mira. "A dragon's… flight?" She sputtered. "What kind of horrid measurement is that?"

"One that the prisoner uses, so one that I will use as well. As a show of…" Elsa caught herself. She almost said, of good faith. So, not only did she defend the blue dragon but she sided with this barbarian woman, too.

"And how are we supposed to know how far this… this Berk is from our homelands if we cannot judge the distance?" Mira's face had turned the shade of red wine. A spittle of drool crept past her lips, but she wiped it away.

"We could always ask her," Councilman Itemas suggested.

"I intend to," Elsa confirmed, even though the thought hadn't crossed her mind before. "I will interrogate the prisoner further tomorrow. Tonight, let her stew in the prison, cold and alone. By first light, she'll want to talk."

The confidence in Elsa's voice surprised her. But the council nodded and, finally, the meeting was over.

* * *

Rummaging around her cloak, Astrid poked her fingers into the ripped inside hem. Her index finger touched something sharp. She smiled. The spare bit of dagger. The brief pat down from the guards earlier on hadn't procured this little item. Of course it wouldn't. Glancing around, she eased it from the hem.

It glinted. She looked out the window. The fading sunlight told her it was nearly nightfall. A slight chill settled in the cell, not unlike the chill from before, when Elsa had been interrogating her. Would they give her a proper blanket? Granted it wasn't a death toll, but it would certainly give her a bit of the freeze-lung.

Raising slightly off the bed, she looked outside. Stormfly seemed content in her little cage. Her tail drifted back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. To an untrained eye, it would seem an almost lazy action. But Astrid knew it was Stormfly's way of testing her cage, and of judging the distance her spikes could fly in such tight quarters.

Stormfly would be fine, for now.

But Astrid wasn't. Astrid wanted to be free. And she wanted to free Stormfly.

She fingered the sharp metal in her hands and glared at the door. Heading over to it, she noticed the guards flanked on either side. But they were relaxed, easily chatting about the dragon encounter. About the attack. About the barbarian woman.

Well, she'd show them just how barbarian she could be.

She crouched down and slowly, gently, started to pick the lock. In a mere minute it clicked. The guards stopped talking. From the shadows on the cell floor she could tell where each guard stood outside.

Astrid kept low to the ground, calculating each breath, calming her tense muscles. She had to time this right. One guard shifted over to the other.

_Now!_

She dropped the metal shard, grabbed the door, and heaved it open. Then, with her reflexed honed from dragon training, she attacked.

Punching the first guard – a skinny woman - in the throat, she ducked under the second guard's flailing grasp. The first guard went down, clutching her throat and gurgling.

Astrid turned on the second guard, eyeing him up. Bigger, stronger, this guard would take a few more hits before going down. The guard threw a punch, but she sidestepped the clumsy attack. Turning on her heel and putting her entire weight into it, she punched him on the chin.

It was like hitting a rock. Pain spiked down her arm. Even her shoulder ached.

His head rocked back, then forward. A grin pulled at his lips. He opened his mouth. She couldn't let him signal the others. Fear pummeled Astrid's hand towards him for another punch. This one connected with the side of his jaw. His weight shifted.

_Built like a rock. Falls like a rock._

She spun on her heel and kicked him behind the knee, knocking his legs out from under him. Luckily his head bashed against the wall. Lucky it knocked him out. Lucky she didn't need to throw another punch. Her hand couldn't take another one.

But what about the first guard?

Footsteps pounded the floor, heading away from her. Even in the dim light of this prison she knew where that first guard headed. Down the corridor, up the stairs, out to the main castle. She knelt down and wormed a steel wristband from the fallen guard. Tensing her arm, she hurled the armor down the corridor. The resounding clank and thud that followed told her she'd hit her mark.

Astrid headed down the opposite way. She couldn't go out the way she came in. Too many people – servants, guards, villagers. Too many eyes.

* * *

Anna held Elsa's hand tight within her own. Her sister's eyes were cast down, trained on Elsa's knees. She was murmuring something, but Elsa couldn't hear. "Speak up, Anna, you know I hate it when you mumble."

Anna looked up. Her eyes shimmered. "You could've died out there, Elsa."

Shocked, Elsa ran a hand through Anna's hair. "You were okay before. Why all this worrying now?"

"It just hit me, that's all." Anna laced their fingers together. Elsa's bed creaked when Anna shifted forward. "I mean, it was a dragon. Something we didn't even know existed. A dragon!"

"But we're safe now. The dragon seems docile and the prisoner is secure." Elsa smoothed Anna's yellow nightgown.

"True," Anna whispered. "It's just crazy, right? Yesterday I didn't even know dragons were real and today I've seen two!"

"You own one, technically. And speaking of," Elsa nodded to the bundle at the foot of her bed. "That little one seems to want your attention."

The ice dragon had been sleeping under a pile of blankets, the day's adventure seemed to have tired it out. At the mention of the other dragon, though, this little one poked its head out of the bundle and yawned. Yawned so big, the roof of its mouth sparkled in the light.

Anna laughed and reached out to it. The ice dragon flopped into her arms, then curled like a contented cat upon her lap. It even purred. Well, hummed more like it. Anna ran her fingers down it's back. The humming grew louder.

"How did you create it?" Anna traced the swirling designs on the dragon's wing.

Elsa watched her little sister. "I wanted to give you a special birthday gift. So I created a dragon sculpture. But then it came to life."

Anna arched an eyebrow. "By itself?"

"I'm not sure," Elsa admitted. "I was a bit preoccupied at that moment." Preoccupied. Yes, that's how she should put it. Head in her arms, crying about her little sister's upcoming engagement. Preoccupied indeed.

"Amazing," Anna whispered. The ring on her finger sparkled just as much as the ice dragon.

"You know what's amazing?" Elsa asked.

"Hmmm?" Anna replied, keeping her gaze on the dragon.

"That you're engaged!" This time Elsa reached out and touched the back of Anna's hand.

Anna stilled, then she beamed. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

Taking in all the sheer insanity of today, Anna getting engaged was one of the simplest. "Yes, it is wonderful," Elsa replied.

Anna squeezed Elsa's hand and turned back to the dragon. "Did you have a name for this little one?"

"No," Elsa said. "I thought you ought to name him."

* * *

Astrid had twisted down many corridors, when a crack in the wall finally caught her attention. It spanned floor to ceiling, wide enough for a thin person to fit through. She ran her fingers over the rough edges, nature did this, she'd recognize the damage anywhere. After all, how many winters had she survived through in Berk? Winter did this. But how did ice get so far inside the castle?

The ice woman. Elsa? Could she have done such damage? Astrid shook her head. Elsa was powerful, but to do this much destruction… maybe Berk was in more trouble than Astrid realized.

For a fleeting second, Astrid considered going back to her cell. Considered waiting out the night. Considered talking to them again, surely they'd interrogate her further.

But then she remembered Stormfly. If Elsa… if that ice woman could torture a harmless miniature dragon, then there's no telling what she could do to Stormfly.

Astrid gritted her teeth and ran her hands down the crack one more time. Her armor would get in the way. She shimmied out of it, making sure to tuck it into an empty cell. Feeling a little bit more vulnerable, Astrid wiggled through the crack. Stonework cut into her shoulders and dug into her knees, but she made it through.

She found herself standing in the middle of a fireplace looking out onto a bedroom. One so huge, her whole house would fit inside. Big enough to be completely furnished.

A four-poster bed stood on one end of the room, bookended by end-tables cut from rough hewn wood. Bookcases towered over her and took up almost the whole opposite wall. A desk twice her length and elegant lamps took up the third. And nestled beside the damaged wall, squishy armchairs sat around the ruined fireplace. Astrid winced. Who in all the gods would need such a huge room?

She stepped timidly into the room and darted over to the door by the bookcases. She didn't feel like being inside here any longer than she'd have to. Someone could come back, after all.

She pushed the door open. It creaked. Astrid stopped. Held her breath. No sounds burst from the other side, so she shoved the door some more and slipped through. She entered a hallway, dark and deserted. A knot rapidly building in Astrid's chest loosened. She went left.

If the hallway remained dark, she could just follow it to the end and get outside. Surely the hallway had a window. One she could jimmy open. She'd get outside, get past the guards, and free Stormfly. They'd fly away together and never return.

But when she reached the end of the darkened hallway, her fingers met only solid wall. No window. What kind of hallway doesn't have a window? Her stomach clenched. An internal hallway. She was inside the castle? That couldn't be right. The prison was to the right of the grounds. To the right of the castle, too. How could she be so far inside it now? Fear bubbled in her throat, like she had swallowed acid and it wanted to come back up. Astrid had lost her way inside an enemy castle.

_Gods._

She shifted her attention away from the windowless wall and back down the hallway. There. A few paces down one door stood slightly ajar. She could go in there, collect her wits, and creep her way back to her cell. There had to be a better way out down there. She'd fight her way out, if she had to.

Astrid pressed her back against the wall and dared a peek inside the room. It seemed dark enough. Some light filtered through an adjoining room, but not enough to worry her. The last edges of the sun, or an early moon maybe.

Opening the door a little bit wider, she slid through the gap. Astrid had taken three steps into the room when movement jarred her senses. There, standing in the light, was Elsa.

* * *

SQ: Thanks for all the new favorites and followers! I'm honored. Commenters, thanks to you, too. I always love your feedback.

I wanted this chapter to be out much sooner, but moving is tough, guys! AK to PDX is way more all-consuming than I thought. Anyway, I hope to follow a more consistent timeline with the next chapters. Burn me or freeze me if I don't.

My question this time: What do you want the little ice dragon's name to be? I'm kinda stumped on it.

Leave me some names on the way out! Until next time!


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